Growing up, I always hoped that I'd somehow spontaneously generate enough testosterone to drop my voice, grow facial hair, stop periods, and be able to build muscle mass.  I never had a high voice but at age 20, it started cracking and generally being wonky, the hair started to darken over my lip, and I felt angry all the friggin' time.  I'm now 27, my speaking voice has dropped multiple times, and fluctuates between normal "female" and "male" ranges.  I was in a choir as a tenor, and can sing from low tenor to high alto.  I have to shave my face (especially my jawline) every. single. day. -.- I can build muscle more easily now than ever but I'm kind of horrible about exercising (working on it!).

But.

Because my speaking voice fluctuates, I don't sound consistently "male."  I'm androgynous looking, and not really concerned with "passing."  I don't even understand the "passing" thing.  What am I supposed to be "passing" as?  I'm already a guy.  Haha.  That said, I actually need to get rid of my periods because they're causing me pretty major problems, and I really want to build more muscle.  I don't care about getting more hair because I'm gonna shave it off anyway. 

So, I have two options: testosterone or birth control.  I understand how T works in the body, what it does, and the general timing of events.  But I don't really understand birth control.  I know that Depo-Provera isn't an option because most people experience weight gain with it, and gaining weight triggers major dysphoria for me.  An IUD isn't an option because it freaks me out.  Biphasic or multiphasic pills also aren't an option because they specifically allow for periods.  This leaves patches, subcutaneous implants, and pills that can completely end periods (I'm aware that there's still the possibility that my periods would only lighten rather than stop but even that would be medically advantageous at this point).

What I'd like to know is if anyone has experience with birth control patches/ implants/ pills.  What side effects did you experience?  I'm extremely worried about weight gain, having heavier periods, or experiencing any "feminizing" effects that can occur with some but not all option.  I'd *prefer* to avoid estrogen because of a history of both breast and ovarian cancer in my family.

If I could find a type of birth control that worked at getting rid of my periods but didn't have any negative effects, I'd be willing to stay on it more or less indefinitely.  I'm unwilling to stay on T for longer than 12-18 months because of concerns with hair loss and the long term side effects of being on T (I will not have a hysterectomy unless medically necessary). 

My main concerns with going on T (would go on androgel), are losing my singing voice and with looking like someone else.  I don't want to be a different person, just the best version of myself.  Also, my singing voice is very much a part of my identity as a person so, I'm terrified of losing it.

Any experiences or thoughts would be greatly appreciated.  I'm going to my doctor on Monday to discuss options.

-Ian

Concerning singing voice, you might look up a few recommendations of trans men who looked into that, and talk about t with your endo.
Basically they said starting on a lower dose ( I remember half for a few months, then going higher later) might help the larynx expand more naturally.
They also kept singing.

And you might look up different experiences with lower doses of t.

For example there are implants available with low doses of t, mainly designed as supplement for menopausal women, which dissolve after a few months. 

Thanks!

I was on bc pills before T. For me it was so worth it before T because it lightened my periods significantly which was a major point of dysphoria for me. The only side effect I noticed was I cried more easily. That went away when I stopped.

I'm on depo-provera. I've been on it years and now I am to the point I self inject it. No periods and weight gain probably hasn't been more than 5-10 pounds in the last 5ish years. Keep in mind I don't regularly exercise or eat good (plus there was a period of depressive laying in bed all day in there) so if you did those things then you should not gain weight. The downside is it is not good for bones for the long term.

Right... because doesn't Depo actually work by suppressing female hormone; I don't want to do that really because we need those for bone health, proper endocrine function, etc.  But thanks for the insight!

I am pre-t and want mine gone too.  I don't want and willn't take any female hormones because of the side effects.  I have pretty decided hysto is the way to go when I can afford one and find a dr to do it.

I was on birth control before T, It helped so much with the periods. If you are going to be sexually active with another male, even if your on T, highly advise to stay on birth control, T is a paradox, you can become pregnant still.

Quote from: Ryan55 on April 23, 2015, 06:16:25 PM
I was on birth control before T, It helped so much with the periods. If you are going to be sexually active with another male, even if your on T, highly advise to stay on birth control, T is a paradox, you can become pregnant still.

Thanks for the response.  Glad to know that someone has had a positive experience with it.  Do you mind saying generally what type (pill/ patch/ implant)?  If not, that's totally fine, too.  Re sexual activity, I'm not in a relationship right now so, it's not an issue.  Certainly, if I were to be in a relationship with a woman who was non-/ pre-op in the future, I'd take that precaution - but definitely good advice in case people aren't aware that T doesn't make you sterile. 

-Ian 

I was on Orsythia, it was a pill, I took everyday. I believe it was a generic version, so its cheaper then the leading brand ones. It worked well for me.

Thanks, Ryan!

I took the generic of Seasonalle for a few years. It definitely helped with the periods. After maybe 9 months (?) they went away entirely. And I had really bad ones before. I did eventually decide that the hormones were making me more volatile and cry more easily. I decided to switch to an IUD, and I love it. It was awful having it put in, but the trade off for me was to feel bad temporarily, but have a long term solution that I never notice or think about unless I'm talking to someone about it. I do prefer to have birth control, I can't imagine anything triggering worse dysphoria than pregnancy. I get more periods than on the pill, sometimes none, sometimes light, but it's way more manageable than not doing anything, and I prefer the stability I feel now. I do still cry a lot more than pre-bc, which could be the iud, or could be that I was never a crier before and my brain figured out that this was better than punching walls or otherwise destroying myself. I had some sexual side effects, but did not notice any feminization.

Side effects like decreased sex drive or increased?  I know T increases sex drive, which would/will suck since I'm single and extremely monogamous, haha.  I don't care if it decreases, though. 

birth control never did anything to my sex drive, but the T def increases it, its kinda like being a teenage boy in high school lol

I had a high sex drive before bc, I think it dropped a little, but was still high. It's more that it was "different," like it took a little more work. Lube was needed. I might be abnormal here, but even without a partner, taking care of things helps me feel better and it was noticeable even then. It wouldn't have been the sole reason I stopped, but when combined with the mood stuff was a problem. Other people have suggested I needed to try a different pill, but I also like that the iud means I don't have to think about it every day and I would now have more of a problem with knowing I was taking female hormones every day.